Use the Vitamin D Calculator to Calculate Your Vitamin D Requirements
This recommendation is meant to be a guide for how much supplemental Vitamin D you may need in your diet to reach your Vitamin D blood target, based on research by van Groningen et al. 2010. Up to 4,000 IU per day of supplemental Vitamin D is considered safe and is set as the upper limit in this calculator. The calculation is only valid for body weights up to 125 kg (275 lbs). Due to the seasonal effect on Vitamin D blood levels, we also suggest testing once per season to adjust your supplementation. Please consult your healthcare provider before making changes to your diet or supplementation regimen.
The Vitamin D Test measures the amount of this important nutrient in your blood using a simple finger prick collection method that you can do at home.
Only enter the Vitamin D you are getting through supplements, which you can find on the Nutrient Facts Panel on the back of your supplement. Don’t try to guess how much you are getting through food and sunlight.
- A person weighing 150 lbs with a Vitamin D blood level of 15 ng/mL and current intake of 1000 IU/day would need to increase their total intake to more than 2800 IU/day to achieve a blood level of 30 ng/mL.
- A person with the same current and target blood level and intake, but who weighs more, like 200 lbs for example, would need a dose of at least 3400 IU/day.
How Can You Find Out Your Vitamin D blood level?
You will need to take a Vitamin D Blood test to find out your level in order to use the Vitamin D Calculator.
Vitamin D Test
The Vitamin D Test measures the amount of this important nutrient in your blood using a simple finger prick collection method that you can do at home.
Dosage Info
The Upper Limit of supplemental Vitamin D intake set by the Institute of Medicine is 4000 IU/day. Learn more >
It is possible to take a higher dose, like 5000 IU, every other day to achieve an average daily dose of 2500 IU/day.
Loading doses or very high doses of Vitamin D taken every week or two have also been shown to be safe and effective at raising Vitamin D levels.
To determine the loading dose recommended by the calculator, multiply the daily dose by the number of days between doses. For example, a daily dose of 2000 IU/d would equal taking 28,000 IU every 2 weeks (2,000 IU/day x 14 days). Please consult with your healthcare provider before using loading doses as your regimen.
What kind of Vitamin D Should I Take?
Vitamin D3 is produced when the body is exposed to sunlight (ultraviolet B radiation sunlight). Our bodies are amazingly efficient when it comes to producing vitamin D3. Vitamin D3 is typically better absorbed than Vitamin D2 supplements; Vitamin D2 is the vegetarian source. There are very few foods
in nature that contain it.
Now What?
1
Use this information to make changes to your lifestyle, such as supplementing, increasing sun exposure, or making changes to your diet.
2
Confirm your Vitamin D level has improved with dietary changes by re-testing every 6 months.
1
Use this information to make changes to your lifestyle, such as supplementing, increasing sun exposure, or making changes to your diet.
2
Confirm your Vitamin D level has improved with dietary changes by re-testing every 6 months.